What Jack Left Behind
by Hanalei
Summary: We all know how Jack Frost came to be. But who was he before that fateful day at the lake? Who did he leave behind?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Again! I am absolutely in love with Rise of the Guardians, and really want to know what Jack's life was like before he was transformed... So here's my take on a part of his story... Please let me know what you think! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable... Sadly...**

* * *

It just wasn't fair.

**Elizabeth** understood that there was a proper etiquette that young ladies must follow. She understood that her parents were counting on her to find a suitable match to make her family proud. She understood she was the eldest daughter and had to set an example for her younger siblings. But, dammit, she was only fourteen!

So what if she loved her books more than the ridiculous lessons her mother prepared for her. Who needed to know how to paint and dance anyways? There was so much more she could be doing than sitting at home! She didn't _want _to simply be a doll to put on display whenever her parents pleased. She was independent. She had her stories. She was fine, thank you very much.

The town, however, had other things to say. They thought she was stuck up and worthless and spoiled. They said there was no place for her in Burgess. They told her she put on too many airs.

Well then!

Elizabeth didn't want to sit around and do nothing. She _loathed_ the way the others treated her. Especially her mother.

So that was why she was stomping through the forest, damp-eyed and book in hand. She'd had enough. She refused to be her mother's ticket to Burgess' tiny high-society. She would not - no could not, stand William Burgess. And there was nothing that could change her mind.

She turned around with a huff and plopped down in front of a sturdy oak tree.

Her frustrated scream ripped through the air. A pink bonnet was flung into an adjacent tree.

Pink.

Elizabeth had always despised that color.

She sighed and opened her book. She traced the words and longed for an adventure. Damn her pathetic timidity! She lost herself in the story. She could practically hear the rushing water and smell the acrid scent of gunpowder. All was still. At least it was until _he_ arrived.

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

"_LOOK OUT!"_

"_OVERLAND!"_

Elizabeth was flat on her back, with a lap full of the most annoying, insolent, _aggravating_ boy in the world. Jackson Overland. Oh, curse her luck.

"Fancy seeing you here Lissy," the buffoon smirked at her.

"Oh, you! I can't even-how-what-JACKSON!"

"Oh, lighten up Elizabeth! It's all in good fun."

"_Fun?_" Elizabeth scoffed. "You call this _fun_?"

Jack looked up at her curiously, with that infuriating grin of his. "Well, of course you question me, miss high-and-mighty. I'll bet you've never had _real _fun!"

Elizabeth sat up and shoved Jack off her lap, onto the mossy ground. This was exactly what Elizabeth hated. They put her in a box. They'd never understand her! Even thickheaded Jackson Overland thought she was stuck up. Oh, she would show him.

Elizabeth faced Jack, who was rubbing the back of his head and wincing.

"Who says I've never had fun?"

"Oh, _everyone,_" Jack said bluntly. "You're never outside. You always play by the rules. And you _read_."

Elizabeth turned red and crossed her arms. "And what's wrong with reading?"

"You don't live! All you do is sit around and plot how to gain a husband…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened and she clenched her fists. "Why, you little. You don't understand! You-you…Damned trickster!"

"Nasty nerd!" Jack shot back. "Come with me, _I dare you_. I dare you to have real fun. My kind of fun."

Elizabeth tightened her arms around herself. She looked down. Her mother was going to kill her.

"Alright."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Sorry I haven't updated sooner... Boston is my hometown, and I literally spent the last week watching the news and sobbing. But, this story is worth it... Please tell me what you think! :)**

* * *

To be perfectly honest with you, **Jack** didn't think Elizabeth had the guts to play by his rules.

She was the town's spoiled-rotten bookworm.

His friends would joke and say her only purpose in life was to snare a wealthy husband.

Jack wasn't thinking of marriage.

He was only fourteen, dammit! He didn't see what his mates saw in girls. And he didn't understand why those girls giggled when he walked past. Was there something in his teeth?

The forest was his only refuge. Sure, his parents never bothered him about this girl nonsense, but there was Emily. Of course, he adored his sister, but she was six years old. It was very easy to have an overdose of her adorable enthusiasm.

The woods were his special place. It was calm and quiet and the perfect place to plot his next trick. Jack let his mind wander.

What would he get Emily for her birthday? He couldn't afford anything. He wasn't wealthy. Maybe he could make her another doll. Yes, she'd like that. Her old one is –

Then he heard it. He heard _her_.

A shriek pierced Jack's silence. He ran towards the noise. You only scream like that when you need help.

He stopped short when he saw who it was.

The most awful, spoiled, _arrogant _girl in all of Burgess was sitting in front of _his _climbing tree, shrieking her head off at nothing.

Jack scoffed. Like _she_ had anything to worry about. She always had enough to eat. She never wanted for anything. It just wasn't fair.

Her bonnet was carelessly hurled into the tree next to Jack. He gaped. His mother would have loved a bonnet like that. How could Elizabeth just toss it to the side like it was nothing? Then again, it probably _was_ nothing to her.

The wealthy were so ungrateful.

He slowly slipped into the shadows of his old oak and began to climb. He would just wait Elizabeth out. After all, how long could a girl like her manage to tolerate getting grass stains on her frocks? Jack scoffed again. She wouldn't last another ten minutes.

* * *

Jack was starting to doze off. Elizabeth actually lasted for quite some time, and didn't even leap about and scream when she saw a beetle over her dress. He could respect that.

His branch was so comfortable. It was like a swing. Or a cloud. Or a –

Thud.

Jack had slipped.

_Thwack._

_Thunk._

_Crack._

This was not his finest hour. He fell out of the tree's comforting embrace right into the lap of an irate Elizabeth. Oh, curse his luck.

So he tried to do what seemed to work on all of the village girls; he tried to charm his way out of the mess he'd created.

And he'd gotten himself stuck teaching Elizabeth the fine art of having fun.

Fantastic.

He'd expected her to lash out. To decline.

But she didn't.

This would be interesting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my friends! I hope you're enjoying my story... Would you mind dropping a review? I know the chapters are pretty short know, but it's finals season! (oh, joy...) So its APs and SATs and IGCSEs for me! I promise, as soon as this is all over, I will post longer, better updates on this story as well as Two Worlds Collide. Thank you so much for your patience!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned ROTG, there is no way I'd be staying up 'til midnight studying for exams...**

* * *

"You must be joking."

Elizabeth looked up at the tree, and then to the cheeky boy standing next to her. "There is no way I'm climbing that-that _monstrosity_."

"Oh, lighten up Lissy! Its just a tree…" Jackson was casually leaning against a neighboring pine, smirking at her. He knew she'd never go through with it.

Elizabeth recognized the look on his face. Oh, how she _hated_ that look! She squared her shoulders.

"Well Overland, what are you waiting for? Help me up."

~OoOoO~

Elizabeth was flying. She was _free_.

Up in the branches of that oak, she felt like nothing could touch her. She spread her arms like a bird.

Jack looked up at her from the base of the tree, gaping. Was this really Elizabeth? Was this really the girl who stuck up her nose whenever someone like him walked by? Jack didn't understand, so he did what he did best. He laughed.

Elizabeth looked down in surprise. Why Jackson laughing at her? Well, she supposed she did look rather funny…

And then Elizabeth surprised Jack even more.

She started laughing too.

~OoOoO~

Elizabeth sighed contently and looked up at the swishing branches of the tree. Maybe Jackson's fun wasn't so bad. She actually enjoyed waiting up here, high over the rooftops of the village.

She looked down at Jackson, who was waiting below her. He had sworn to stay and catch her if she fell, and he'd actually kept his promise. Maybe he really wasn't that bad? After all, he was the one who had brought her to this tree in the first place…

Elizabeth gasped.

Jackson? Not that bad?! She must be going soft.

She shook her head fiercely. No. Her mother had told her people like him were savage and rude. Though Elizabeth disagreed with many of her outrageous beliefs, her mother had been right about these village boys so far. She couldn't be wrong. Could she?

Lost in thought, she swung her legs a bit too ferociously.

_Woosh._

Elizabeth slid off of her branch. She yelped and grabbed at the branches as she tumbled down.

"My goodness, I am going to die!" she shrieked.

_Thwack._

_Thunk._

_Crack._

Elizabeth fell through the leaves, right into the arms of a smirking Jackson Overland.

"Well, the roles are reversed now, aren't they Lissy?" he chuckled. "I _told_ you I wouldn't let you hurt yourself."

Elizabeth sat there in shock. He had caught her. He hadn't lied. _He had saved her life._

So, she did the only thing she could do at that moment.

She leaned over and hugged him.

"Thank you Jackson."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again, my friends! I'm back, and my exams are (finally) done. This chapter was kind of hard for me to write... I really hoe you enjoy it! Please, _please, PLEASE_ drop me a review and tell me what you think! It honestly makes my day (thank you for the ****reviews on my last chapter Guest, Air[guest] and RedHal!) **

* * *

What?

Jack froze.

How was he supposed to react to this? She was _hugging _him.

"Erm… Augh…You-you're welcome?"

Very smooth Jack, very smooth. He mentally walloped himself.

Elizabeth giggled slightly and slipped onto the ground.

"You obviously have leagues of experience in the art of conversing with girls," she chuckled.

"Hey!" Jack frowned at her. "You're not the most graceful soul in the world, you know! _I _had to catch _you_."

Elizabeth and Jack glared at each other, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

But Jack couldn't handle it.

His lip twitched. Elizabeth snorted.

And they both broke out into hysterical laughter.

"You-you snorted! That was _terribly _unladylike, Miss James."

"Oh, Mr. Overland! Whatever will my mother say?"

Neither Elizabeth nor Jack new why they found their conversation so humorous, but they laughed anyways. They reveled in the joy.

"My word Miss James! You aren't such a dull priss after all!"

"My dear Mr. Overland. Perhaps you are slightly less demonic then I thought."

"Hey!"

Jack stopped and looked at Elizabeth. She really wasn't that bad.

"Elizabeth. I have something else to show you."

~OoOoO~

"It's so… beautiful."

Elizabeth looked out a lake that glistened in the summer sun.

She stood on the shore, the hem of her dress dancing into the water. She was mesmerized - how had she never heard of this wonderful place before?

Jack leaned against a nearby tree and grinned. He really loved making other children happy. And Elizabeth's smile really filled him with joy.

"It's quite nice, isn't it?" he said, walking towards the water. "But, its no fun to just watch the lake." Jack stepped into the water and grinned at Elizabeth. "You have to take life by the hands and run as fast as you can. You can't just live in a sheltered hole. You need to see what's out there!"

"That's easy for you to say," Elizabeth whispered. "You're a boy. You can do whatever you please. I'm condemned to a meaningless life of sewing and cooking."

"Well, then why not have fun now?"

"It's not so simple, Jackson."

"Oh really?" Jack smirked. "Oh, Lissy you're overthinking! It's as easy as one, two, three."

_Splash!_

Jack playfully dragged Elizabeth into the water. He didn't mean for her to fall in, but she did. Head first.

"JACKSON!"

Elizabeth spluttered and raked her sopping hair out of her face. Her dress! Her shoes! Oh, how her mother would scream at her when she got home!

Jack took one look at the vicious shade of red Elizabeth was turning and backed away slowly. What was he thinking!? Girls like Elizabeth hated fun things like pranks and splashing water. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Elizabeth was furious. She had never, ever done anything her mother would disprove of. After all, her mother was very fond of smacking. Shaking with anger, Elizabeth turned towards Jackson.

She gasped.

He actually looked afraid! Of her! The look of terror on his face mirrored the way she felt whenever she upset her mother.

Elizabeth stumbled back in shock.

She would _NOT _become her mother.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. She was not her mother. She could not be her mother. She would not be her mother. She refused to hurt Jackson the way her mother had hurt her before.

"Oh, Jackson?" she cooed sweetly. "You do know it's _terribly_ impolite to shove a lady. My, my! I must return the favor!" Elizabeth grinned evilly at Jack and splashed water right into his face.

Jack spluttered. "Oh, Lissy. You will regret that!"

Elizabeth shrieked with laughter and ran across the banks of the lake, with Jack following close behind her, whooping with glee.

The woods echoed with the sounds of splashing and joy-filled cries.

If only it would have lasted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my friends! Sorry it's taken so long to upload this chapter... Please let me know what you think! Reviews really make my day :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything ****recognizable **

**Allons-y!**

* * *

"_Elizabeth Abigail Bennett!"_

Elizabeth bowed her head as water droplets trickled from her hair onto the pristine floor.

"What on earth is wrong with you? I raised you to become a _lady_ not some filthy, peasant hooligan!"

Elizabeth's mother was what most called a classic English beauty. With her gold hair, sky blue eyes and pale skin, Desdemona Bennett claimed she could have snared the King of England as her husband. But she didn't, and lamented daily about her dreary life in the colonies, her blacksmith husband and how Elizabeth (and her brothers Daniel and James) had inherited said-blacksmith-husband's grass green eyes and broad grin instead of Mrs. Bennett's own delicate features.

_Smack!_

"And this was my dress as well! How _dare _you!"

_Smack!_

"Go! I want you out of my sight, you insolent girl!"

_Smack!_

~OoOoO~

Jack was walking home. He couldn't believe the fun he'd had with Elizabeth that day. They'd spent ages running and laughing and talking. She was different from what he'd previously thought. She hadn't even screamed when she tripped into a mud bank! Elizabeth was still a spoiled rotten priss, but, strangely, Jack was starting to care less about that. He was happy – he'd found a new friend. A good friend.

Suddenly, Elizabeth dashed out from behind him, furiously rubbing her eyes. Jack jumped, startled by her sudden appearance, and chased after her, back into the woods.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, wait! What happened? What's wrong?"

"Leave me _alone_ Jackson!"

"No."

Jack caught Elizabeth and spun her around. He drew in a breath. Her nose was dripping crimson blood onto her frock, her eyes were watering and the left side of her face was an angry red.

"Oh my goodness…" Jack didn't know what to say. He had never seen her like this before.

"Don't look at me."

Elizabeth turned her face away from Jack's prying eyes.

"I don't need your pity Overland."

"Why? How often does this happen?" Jack pressed on.

Elizabeth sighed. Jackson just wouldn't leave her alone would he? But, she was starting to like that about him, the insolent buffoon.

"Whenever my mother gets angry. She thinks I deserve it, when I don't act like a proper lady."

Jack's eyes flashed. No one deserved abuse. Especially not children.

"Come with me Elizabeth, we need to visit my mother."

~OoOoO~

Jane Overland was happily bustling around her kitchen when Jack and Elizabeth ran in. She adored children, and felt blessed to have two brilliant angels of her own - sweet Jack and little Emma. She would give them the moon if she could. But this doesn't mean she approved of all of their antics. When Jack burst through the door with a sniffling young lady in tow, Jane didn't know what to think. What had Jack done? Who was this girl?

Jane's fears increased when the girl's identity was revealed. Elizabeth Bennett - devil Desdemona's child. Daughter of the evil witch that would insult her children's upbringing at every turn. Child of the monster who had nearly killed Jack when he was a toddler.

"What do _you _want?" Jane said coldly, glaring down at the dough she was kneading. She couldn't help herself. The girl looked almost exactly like her mother.

Elizabeth choked back a sob. Her mother was right. She _was_ an ugly, horrid wretch. Even Mrs. Overland, who was know for loving every village child as her own, hated her. She tried to break free of Jack's grasp, but he was too strong. Elizabeth cursed her mother's ideas of how girls must be dainty and delicate.

"Ma," Jack said, his voice hard as rock. "She's been abused enough at home. She doesn't need any more grief from us."

Jane looked up from her baking, startled. _Abused_? "What do you mean, Jack?"

"Just look at her."

Jane drew in a breath, and delicately touched Elizabeth's face. A handprint was beginning to show on her cheek. "Who did this?" Jane demanded. "One of the village boys? Your father?" Mrs. Overland hoped that Samuel Bennett was not the culprit. She had grown up with the man. He was her childhood playmate. She couldn't imagine the Sam she knew hurting his own child – especially the little girl that he doted on.

"It was my mother, ma'am," Elizabeth whispered.

Jane drew her hand back quickly and gasped. How could any mother purposely injure her only daughter? That woman really was a monster! Her eyes hardened with anger. "Jack, bring me a wet rag. And fetch some honey from the cellar. Now!"

She turned to Elizabeth, who was staring at her nervously. Jane tentatively smiled at the girl. She had her father's eyes. Jane would try her best to forget her grudge for the moment. She would do it for Sam, to whom she hadn't properly spoken to for many years. She missed her friend. And, after all, Elizabeth was only a child - an injured child at that. "Just sit down now, Miss Bennett. We'll fix you right up. After all, we wouldn't want to leave a bruise on that pretty face of yours," she said kindly.

Elizabeth blushed and murmured, "Thank you ma'am."

~OoOoO~

Elizabeth hadn't felt this happy in years. She had been waiting in the Overland house for a few hours at Jack's insistence. He refused to let her go home while her father and brothers were away, and Mrs. Overland grudgingly agreed to let her stay.

Both Elizabeth and Jane were surprised at how quickly they had bonded. Elizabeth supposed that it was thanks to their mutual dislike of her mother – both women deeply enjoyed sharing stories of Desdemona's humiliations and misgivings.

"And then-" Elizabeth burst into laughter before she could finish her tale, "And then when mother walked out of the door, James poured the water and shortening out the window. She fell into the chicken coop, and ran out sopping wet and covered in feathers! And Mrs. Haven and Mrs. Smith were out on their porch gossiping. Oh, how I wish you could have seen their faces! She screamed so loudly, I swear I went deaf. And the awful shade of red she became! I think she may have soiled her dress in anger!"

Jack howled with laughter and Mrs. Overland tried to stifle her chuckles, to no avail. "However did little James come up with such an idea?" Jane said, smiling.

Elizabeth smirked mischievously. "I may or may not have orchestrated the operation," Elizabeth laughed. "And James was bored that day. The little monster really does enjoy a good joke!"

Mrs. Overland laughed again. "Oh, Elizabeth. If I hadn't known your family, Desdemona would be the last person I would think was your mother. You are definitely your father's daughter."

Elizabeth smiled slightly and turned to Mrs. Overland, her eyes serious.

"Thank you."


End file.
